Upon his arrival, he was greeted by a group of hecklers, calling for him to resign. After the crowd was pushed back he addressed them and promised to help rebuild the synagogue.
Albanese expressed solidarity with the Jewish community in Australia, praised its extraordinary contribution to Australian society, and promised to work to rehabilitate the synagogue and bring those responsible to justice.
During the visit, Rabbi Shlomo HaCohen Kahn, the head of Adass Yisrael Melbourne, showed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a unique electric menorah that he developed. The innovative menorah is specially designed for Jews traveling over the Pacific Ocean and crossing the international date line during Hanukkah, and allows them to observe the mitzvah of lighting candles even while flying on an airplane – a situation in which traditional candle lighting is not possible.
Prior to this ingenious menorah, the person traveling would have to appoint a shaliach (an agent) to light a menorah for them.
For many in Australia, home to the highest per capita population of Holocaust survivors outside Israel, Friday’s arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne stirred haunting echoes of a painful past.
“This community was built by people like my father, who fled Germany after Kristallnacht,” shared Yossi Aron, religious affairs editor for the Australian Jewish News, a partner of the Times of Israel. “In our collective memory, a burning synagogue is always a dire sign for the Jewish people.”
Aron recounted that in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the synagogue - established by Holocaust survivors - members of the congregation were desperate to retrieve their prayer objects. Despite the trauma, they wanted to continue their rituals, a testament to their resilience and commitment to their faith.
